PROMPT #44

BY ELIZABETH METZGER

Photo by Shoeib Abolhassani on Unsplash

---

This prompt is inspired by a body scan, a common practice in mindful meditation. I will be altering it for the purpose of a creative exercise, but I also encourage you to try the meditation practice itself!

Close your eyes and notice your breath. Then keeping your eyes close, let your attention pass through your body, moving from the top of your head to your ears (forehead, eyes, jaw, down through your neck, shoulders, chest, arms, hands, fingers etc. all the way to the soles of your feet.

Get up and do something or walk around. Then return to your desk or chair and do the same body scan with your eyes open, taking notes as you attend to each part of your body.

Choose two parts of your body and describe their sensations and transformations in detail, then write a dialogue between these body parts. You can invent and imagine beyond the real observations you wrote down. Let them tell each other how they feel, what to do, and how they change.

When you revisit your poem (after a few minutes or later in the day) move away from the idea of body parts, and let these voices and perspectives mingle into the tension between two forces, within the self or between a speaker and addressee.

Let us know how it goes in the comments. Happy writing!